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President Trump Renews Pledge to ‘Take a Strong Look’ at Libel Laws

President Donald Trump repeated a pledge to change the nation’s libel laws in a way that would make it easier for people to sue news organizations and publishers for defamation, another salvo from a president who has expressed hostility toward longstanding press freedoms. “We are going to take a strong look at our country’s libel laws, so that when somebody says something that is false and defamatory about someone, that person will have meaningful recourse in our courts,” President Trump said. Expanding on the theme, he added, “Our current libel laws are a sham and a disgrace and do not represent American values or American fairness.” “We want fairness,” the president said. “Can’t say things that are false, knowingly false, and be able to smile as money pours into your bank account. We are going to take a very, very strong look at that, and I think what the American people want to see is fairness.”

President Trump also took time to taunt television news networks, saying that they were dependent on his activities for ratings. “If Trump doesn’t win in three years, they’re all out of business,” he told the small gathering of reporters. “You’re all out of business.”